|
Arista Records has acquired U.S. distribution rights for England's Stiff Records — an eccentric little label with the motto "Undertakers to the Industry — If They're Dead, We'll Sign 'em." Indeed, Stiff is a feisty upstart of a label, signing Elvis Costello long before Columbia caught wind of him, and releasing a collection album entitled Hits Greatest Stiffs with the proud exclamation "Contains no hit single whatsoever!" on the jacket.
Stiffs Live (Stiff STF 0001), featuring five Stiff all-stars (Elvis, Nick Lowe, Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric and Larry Wallis), is one of the label's first two stateside releases, and is a thoroughly delightful rock 'n' roll record. The performances represented on the album were culled from the infamous Stiff tour of England last year and are genuine examples of music unbridled with hype and excess.
Costello is most visible due to his current successful album My Aim Is True, and he contributes a punchier, keyboard-dominated "Miracle Man" and a definite curve ball, Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself." The Bacharach/David song is most touching; Costello if frequently pegged as an inventive but excessively bitter artist, and his straightforward rendering of the song counters this conception and hints at Costello's depth as a singer.
Next to Elvis, Nick Lowe comes to the forefront. A veteran of the classic pub rock band Brinsley Schwartz, Lowe is a non pareil pop craftsman and lyricist. He writes hooks that would do Steve Miller or Boston proud, but he touches his catchy hit single sounding songs with uncommon wit and perception.
Ian Dury, a stumplike dwarf of a man as handsome as Marty Feldman and as smooth a singer as Keith Moony Is nevertheless one of Britain's best working class non-heroes. Dury contributes "Billericay Dickey," "Wake Up and Make Love With Me" and the anthemic "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll," in a mixture of rock, funk and dance hall music infused with Cockney charm.
Taken as a whole, the self-effacing humor of the musicians and the label make Stiffs Alive a superb album. The spontaneity and commitment of these artists is undeniably moving.
| 
